


Stop Thinking, Dance

by icerose92



Category: Victorious
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, F/F, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 09:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icerose92/pseuds/icerose92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even in the dim light, Jade can see that she's small, and delicately beautiful, like the tea sets her mother had tried to force upon her as a child. Her eyes shine, wide and giddy, and it's obviously her first time to a strip club of any sort. AU Cat/Jade & Andre/Robbie if you squint</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stop Thinking, Dance

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Victorious fic ever. Hope you guys enjoy!

A graduate of Hollywood Arts, Jade West had never pictured herself anything less than famous.

And she isn't.

At least, she's not on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

…maybe she should think it over again.

Jade never pictured herself being a _stripper_.

That's more like it. Jade likes to sing, she likes to dance. She's not particularly fond of riding the pole.

It'd started out as _just for a few weeks_ and _just until the rent's caught up_ and it had somehow morphed into _god I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my fucking life_. Now, Jade ponders as she slides up the pole and struts to the end of the walkway, she knows why Andre had begged her not to take the job.

 _Anything but stripping_. He'd been near tears at the thought of his best friend around so many drunk, greasy, repulsing men. Sarcastically, she'd suggested prostitution. He'd paled and begrudgingly agreed that stripping was best.

 _It's just until our rent's caught up_. Andre already worked two jobs; it wasn't fair to ask him to pick up a third when she couldn't hold one for a week.

A few weeks turned into a year, and here Jade is, still working the pole and raking in the dough. Enough for an apartment upgrade for she and Andre. Enough to keep them fed. Enough for each of them to have a car, no matter how beat up each is.

Jade's not afraid to admit that she's stuck. Stuck in a hole that's only getting deeper.

She walks backstage after her number and takes the offered robe, regretting letting someone rip the bra she had shed from her hand. Ladies from her shift and the one after mill around the back room and it's a struggle to get to her station, but she manages in time to shove her earned money into her bag and change for her next dance.

Andre's the DJ tonight and it's a little awkward, but he's seen Jade in worse situations, so she's not worried. She hears him announce her name, asking the crowd to put their hands together, and she puts the finishing touches on her lip gloss and hurries back to the stage.

She peeks through a sliver in the curtain, waiting for her cue in the music, when a shock of red at the door catches her attention and she almost misses the beat she's supposed to step out on. She tries to give the dance her all, but her eyes have followed the red to a table in the back and she can't help but stare at the beautiful red-head. She's with a reluctant, prude looking brunette girl who's obviously pleading to leave. The red-head only has eyes for Jade and throws a hand in the brunette's face.

Even in the dim light, Jade can see that she's small, and delicately beautiful, like the tea sets her mother had tried to force upon her as a child. Her eyes shine, wide and giddy, and it's obviously her first time to a strip club of any sort. Her smile is small, kind of innocent, and Jade thinks it's the kind of smile she'd like to come home to at night.

 _Woah_.

She forces the thought to the back of her mind; she's not sappy. She doesn't smile. She doesn't like when other people smile…

She should probably stop thinking and dance.

Jade smirks at the crowd as she unclasps her bra, then covers her mouth like it was an accident that it flew off of her body. It's an old routine, but it gets them every time. Someone in the front whistles, and Jade winks, chancing a glance to the back. The brunette has turned her back to the stage entirely, but Jade doesn't care. As long as she can see the red head's face, her night will be a good one. It's rare that beautiful girls like her come in, and in her musing, Jade trips over her own heels. No one but Andre seems to have noticed, and he's mouthing to her, asking if she's okay, and she merely waves at him dismissively before finishing her number and retreating to the safety of the curtain. It's hot, she's sweaty, and she's done for the night, but she can't help but glance out one more time.

The red-haired girl is gone.

//

Jade realizes that it's stupid, that _she's_ stupid, but she can't help and look for the girl on Tuesday. When she's not there, Jade tries again Thursday.

Jade knows she shouldn't expect anything else but greasy pigs in the audience, but she's a tad disappointed.

//

Friday, it's a different story.

Jade is called in earlier than usual because Trina's sick or hungover or some shit and the club is still pretty empty. There's a ventriloquist on stage, a painfully awkward Jewish kid, and a few people are listening to him, but most of the patrons are working on getting drunk for the upcoming show. The double doors leading to the girls' dressing room are open, allowing air to circulate through the building. Jade comes in through the back, like always, and as she rounds the corner of the hall, she halts in her tracks.

The red-headed girl from last week is sitting at the table right outside the open doors, giggling at the puppet's jokes. Jade ducks into the dressing room, mentally shaking herself.

When it's show time, Jade steps onto the stage, eyes immediately honing in on the girl. She's sitting with the ventriloquist and talking to the puppet.

Jade makes sure to dance like she's never danced before.

She doesn't understand the burn of jealousy she's feeling.

//

Andre asks her why she's been pouting all week.

Jade lies, says she's not reaching her normal amount; it's pretty fucked up, she grumbles.

Andre pretends to believe her.

//

The next Friday Jade realizes this is going to be a ritual. This girl is going to come in with a friend every Friday night, sit at the same table, and leave before everyone dances.

Tonight, even from the back of the club, Jade can see that she's wearing colors that are too bright, and it makes Jade sick, but only a little. Jade's always like dark colors, black, green, blue. Pink? Yellow? No thanks. But somehow they work on this girl, and Jade's attention is drawn to her more strongly than before.

Sikowitz, the club owner, tells her she's doing amazing and sips at his coconut.

Jade doesn't tell him why.

//

Jade's been helping Andre with his music all week, so she hasn't had the chance to get out much. When she steps out on Friday night, she immediately targets the back table. She's there, the ventriloquist to her right, the brunette to her left.

When she's done, she watches the three leave from behind the curtain, and when she turns away, she's nose-to-nose with Trina.

"Is she gone?" Trina whispers loudly, pressing against Jade to look into the club.

Jade scoffs angrily and pushes Trina off of her. They've never been close, really, not enough to touch each other, and Jade appreciates her space. "What are you talking about?"

Trina presses back, looking through the curtain frantically. "My sister!" She hisses in Jade's ear.

Jade wipes the saliva from her face and shoves Trina hard. "Goddamn, if you wanted to neck you could have just said so."

"My family thinks I work at Freezy Queen!" Trina whines, ignoring Jade's comment. "If they found out I work here-"

"Chill, weirdo," Jade snaps. "Breathe; you're next." She doesn't really care about Trina's problem _at all_ , so she breezes past.

Trina wrings her hands and shifts nervously in her heels. "She was with the red head," she calls; Jade stops, turns back, and listens. "She and Tori are friends or whatever and-"

"They left, Trina," Jade snaps, hands on her hips. "Hey, I see her here a lot," she tries, trying to act like she couldn't care less. "What's her name?"

Trina ignores her and steps onto the stage, her confidence back.

Jade's shoulders slump. So much for that.

//

Tuesday, Jade visits the mall before work. She wants to hit up Victoria's Secret for a new outfit or two, preferably something colorful, something blue and something red and-

Jade takes a moment to breathe. Just because this girl shows up every Friday doesn't mean she's there to see _just_ Jade. There are eight other girls that work her shift, and the red-head could be there to see any one of them. There's no need in changing her wardrobe for her.

She skips Victoria's Secret and heads right to Starbucks.

She immediately regrets her decision when she turns from the barista and there she is, red-hair up in a pony tail and short shorts riding a little too high. She's with the skittish Jewish ventriloquist who…still has the puppet on his leg. Jade raises an eyebrow. _Weird._

Jade wants to go over and say hi, wants to introduce herself, because she has a crush on a girl whose name she doesn't even know, whose _personality_ she doesn't even know, but all she can do is stand and stare. She can feel the butterflies, threatening to erupt from her belly and she wishes the barista would hurry the hell up because her tongue is dry and she knows she couldn't speak if she tried.

On cue, she hears her coffee hit the counter and she snatches it up, but she's not quick enough. The girl's head snaps towards her, almost as if she could _feel_ Jade watching her, and Jade freezes. Their eyes catch and suddenly Jade feels like a creep. She's never been one to openly stare at anyone, so why is this chick any different? Her gaze roots Jade to the spot she's standing on, and she smiles shyly, her fingers wiggling in Jade's direction. Jade lifts one corner of her lips and tilts her head up a bit because it's all she can manage.

Her friend, the ventriloquist, turning in his seat is the jolt Jade needs to get her feet moving again.

Before she leaves the mall, she goes to Victoria's Secret and buys a piece of lingerie in every color of the rainbow.

//

Before she leaves for work Friday, Andre asks her why she's so excited.

Jade just shrugs.

//

Jade wears her new, bright red set tonight. Her customers seem a bit confused at first, because she usually wears dark colors, but all she cares about is that the red-head has moved up a few tables, and if possible, seems a lot more into her dance than usual. The guy from Starbucks is with her again, and, once again, he seems determined to keep his eyes on the table below his fidgeting hands.

Jade dances her heart out, making nearly twice the money as usual. It doesn't matter; Jade keeps her eyes on her all night, even when she's not dancing. She doesn't seem interested in the other dancers. She talks to her friend, hides her face with her hair, and when Jade's name is called once again, her head snaps back up.

After her shift, Jade sits on her stool in the back room counting her bills. Trina eyes her jealously across the room, but Jade just smirks and counts more slowly, exaggerating the snap of each as she separates them. She's not running on a money high, really. She got more from the red-head's attention than she ever has from the money she receives.

Once Trina's gone, Jade packs her money away and slings her bag over her shoulder. The sounds of the club can be heard, pulsing in the floor and the walls, and Jade reaches back to pull out a twenty for a couple of shots.

She's going to do this Friday night right.

The back room door swings shut behind her and as she's walking back towards the main room of the club, someone behind her clears their throat. Jade turns, expecting Andre or Trina, anyone but the little red-head.

"Hi." She's leaning against the wall beside the door, and Jade wonders how she missed her. Her short black dress hugs her perfectly and she pushes off the wall to face Jade.

Realizing she should probably say something, Jade forces a breathy, "Hey."

She stops in front of Jade, her legs crossed at her ankles and reaches out a hand. "I'm Cat."

 _Cat_. Jade reaches for Cat's hand, hoping hers isn't too sweaty. "Jade," she tries to be smooth. Cat takes her hand back and giggles and Jade can't help but smile. It's so cute. Cat's obviously a happy person. A little too happy, but Jade thinks she might be able to work around it. "So," she says awkwardly. "I see you around a lot."

Cat nods. "Yeah, my brother told me about this place," she says, then starts to animate her hands as she talks. "One time, my brother slipped a twenty in a ladies waistband, but she didn't work here, so he's not allowed back anymore."

Jade snorts because she remembers that. That lady almost got the entire club shut down for good. She gestures over her shoulder with her thumb. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Cat orders a virgin screwdriver.

Jade just smiles.

//

Jade tells Andre about Cat.

Andre tells Jade not to get mixed up with customers.

Jade ignores him.

//

Jade runs into Cat and her ventriloquist friend (his name is Robbie, but Jade doesn't care enough to call him that) in the bookstore on Wednesday. Jade's not there for the books, but for the coffee shop inside, and they seem to be there for the comic book rack; Cat looks bored, and Robbie's not paying attention, so Cat skips right over and says, "Hi!"

Jade nearly drops her coffee and Cat looks a little bit concerned, but Jade manages to hang onto it. "Hey…Cat, right?" She asks, pretending to barely remember the girl.

Cat giggles, doesn't seem fooled at all, and grabs for Jade's free hand. Jade lets Cat drag her to the place she'd occupied before seeing Jade and introduces her to Robbie.

"Hi!" Robbie says cheerfully, followed by a grunt from the puppet on his hand. "Be polite!" Robbie scolds, and Jade takes a step back because it's fucking weird that he talks to this thing like it's a person. "Sorry, Rex doesn't fair well around new people."

"Well maybe if we went out more, I'd be a bit more comfortable," Rex replies, and Robbie rolls his eyes. Cat just giggles again and latches onto Jade's sleeve. "What was your name again, sugar lips?"

"Rex!"

"Ew," Jade says, turning her lip up.

"Sorry," Robbie mutters again, then says to Cat, "I better get him home."

"Oh, okay." Cat lets go of Jade's sleeve and hugs Robbie. "I'll just stay here with Jade!"

Robbie waves his farewell, Rex says, "Bye hot stuff," and they set off, arguing the entire way.

"Sorry about him," Cat says, and somehow Jade just _knows_ she's not apologizing for Robbie. "He can be a little inappropriate."

Jade just smiles and jumps when Cat takes her hand, pulling her in the opposite direction of Robbie and Rex.

"So, is that your boyfriend?" Jade asks, pointing to Robbie's retreating back.

Cat bends her fingers around her mouth and giggles. "He's my roommate," she says, then laughs as she adds, "We're not each other's type!" Jade's eyebrows shoot up, because she knows _exactly_ what Cat means and her heart swells eagerly.

"Where are we going?" She asks, trying to take a sip of her coffee without it sloshing everywhere.

Cat giggles, then gasps breathily. "The pet store!" She says excitedly. Jade groans. She doesn't _hate_ animals, but she doesn't exactly have a happy relationship with them, either. She likes to think that there's a mutual understanding that, if they don't look at her, she'll swerve to avoid their relatives.

Cat releases her hand at the door and stoops to peer into the glass case of puppies by the window. Jade sips her coffee and her mind races for an excuse to leave; she barely knows Cat, and it's not awkward, but she is a bit nervous. And it scares her because she's Jade-fucking-West and she doesn't get nervous. She strips in front of horny, depressed men three days out of the week, yet she can't handle being around Cat.

"Do you have pets?" Cat asks, eyes wide and hopeful.

Jade thinks about lying. If she says she has a puppy or a kitten, it'll make her appear softer, and that just might be a good thing. Cat seems like she'd like soft people, not hard and angry like Jade. But lying is bad. Lying bites you in the ass later. So she shakes her head.

Cat's lip juts out. "Phooey," she mutters.

Realizing she's been silent since saying hello to the girl, Jade asks, "Do you have any?"

"I had a doggy!" Cat says. She pouts again. "But one time, my brother was walking him and took him off his leash. No more doggy after that."

Jade thinks about shelling out some money and getting Cat a puppy but thinks, what the hell? That's weird. Buying a puppy – an _expensive_ puppy – for a person she barely knows? 

A person who's too happy for her own good.

"I could go for some ice cream," Jade says, wanting to get away from the noisy pet store. "How about you?"

Cat squeals, stands up, wobbles a bit, and bolts to grab Jade's hand.

Jade adds _too affectionate_ to the list of things she knows about Cat. Which is really short.

She lets Cat drag her through the throngs of people, reveling in the warmth the girl's hand spreads through her. She's never felt this way, even when she knew all about other people. She's never let people take her hand, never let them drag her around. Not even Andre, her best friend, her _room mate_.

"What's your favorite flavor?" Cat asks as they hop in line.

Jade pretends to ponder it for a minute, then says, "Vanilla," because she's a basic bitch when it comes to things like ice cream.

It seems to please Cat immensely, though, because the girl hops up and down, clapping her hands. "Oh, yay! I love strawberry, but now that you mention it, I think I'll get vanilla!" While Jade's brain is busy trying to catch up to Cat's fast pace, Cat steps up and orders two vanilla cones. Jade slaps down a ten dollar bill before Cat has the chance, and tells the cashier to keep the change; she's here to make an impression, dammit.

Cat thanks her, says she really didn't have to, and Jade just shrugs and asks, "So what's an innocent looking thing like you doing in a strip club every Friday night?"

Cat's silent, and Jade can tell she doesn't want to answer the question, but before she can prod a bit more, a voice calls for Cat in the music store they're passing. "Cat!"

Cat looks relieved and squeals, "Hey, Tor!" Cat's friend hurries to them, and hugs Cat briefly. "This is Tori Vega," Cat says, happily pointing at the smiling woman and then to Jade. Jade holds back a smirk because _this_ is the younger sister of Trina Vega, the raunchiest stripper at the club. Now she understands why Trina bailed early when Cat walked in with this girl. "This is my friend, Jade."

Tori's smile falters for a moment, but then it's back, full wattage, and a lot more forced. "Oh," she says, her hands outstretched, pointing. "Jade. The stripper, right?"

Jade feels her eyes burn and her stomach twist. She's a stripper, yeah, but her profession doesn't define her. She's tried other things that she just wasn't good at and she's making more money a week as a stripper than she made at all of her other jobs combined. She's tasteful, she doesn't sleep with the boss, doesn't let the customers touch her _too_ much, and she doesn't need this shit from Tori-fucking-Vega. She's trying to make a goddamn living, trying to keep her head above water, and who does this gank think she is trying to down her for it? She turns on her heel to leave, but stops when she hears Cat's voice.

"No," the red-head whines loudly. "Jade. The person!" Cat takes her hand and pulls her away without a goodbye, and its clear Vega has upset her, but Jade's not exactly sure why that makes her so much more angry than Vega referring to her as _the stripper_. Cat gets into Jade's passenger seat without an invitation, but Jade's glad she did; not only does it prove that Cat's comfortable with her, but at least she knows Cat won't be walking home alone. They drive around for a bit, mostly in silence, and Jade can hear the unspoken apology in Cat. She asks where Cat lives, and Cat doesn't seem to want to tell her – whether she doesn't want Jade to know or she doesn't want to leave Jade is a mystery – but eventually Jade gets the information out of her, and it turns out they only live a block and a half apart.

When Jade drops Cat off at her apartment building, Cat leans over and kisses her on the cheek, narrowly missing her mouth, and leaves without another word.

For the first time in a long time, Jade drifts off to sleep smiling.

//

On Friday, Jade doesn't see Cat.

//

She meets Beck Oliver the following Monday. He's handsome and a little bit shy and she agrees to meet at Nozu at eight on Wednesday for dinner with him and his friends. It's mainly to keep her mind occupied on her night off and Beck's eyes remind of her Cat's so he can't be _that_ bad, right? Plus, Beck said she could invite Andre, so it's not going to be awkward.

Jade and Andre arrive ten minutes early, and Jade regrets her decision to say yes to this whole thing when she spots Tori Vega on a stool beside Beck. She grabs Andre's arm and pivots him back toward the exit, hissing that she'll explain in the car, but she's a second too late.

"Jade, Andre!" Beck waves them over and Jade plasters on a fake smile when she sees Tori stiffen awkwardly.

"Hey," Tori says, drawing the greeting out between nearly clenched teeth.

"'Sup?" Andre throws up a hand.

Beck chatters on about how he and Tori met to Andre, and in turn Andre tells the history of his friendship with Jade. Jade pokes at her sushi with a single chopstick and across from her, Tori sighs.

"Look," Tori says quietly. "I'm sorry about last week." It's fake, it's oh so fake, and it physically hurts Jade. Like a kick to the ribs, sending all of the air rushing from her lungs, and rendering them unable to suck in anymore oxygen. She remains quiet, and Tori continues. "I know Cat was upset. And you looked pretty upset too-"

"Oh, look everyone," Jade says sarcastically, and Andre and Beck become silent. "The stripper has feelings."

Tori is speechless; her mouth opening and closing like it is should be comical to Jade, but all Jade feels is anger. She wish she'd asked Beck in advance who is friends were, because it must be a really fucking small world for _this_ to happen.

Andre plants a hand on Jade's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Jade asks. She wants to shrug Andre's hand off so badly, but he's her best friend, and she doesn't have beef with him. "I'm just Jade. _The stripper_. Right?"

"Oh, c'mon," Tori says in a high pitched voice, gesturing with her hands. "I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to associate your face with where I'd seen you, and are you or are you not a-"

"Robbie!" Beck suddenly calls, rising from his seat. "My man!"

The ventriloquist releases Rex where he's holding him into a sitting position and waves. Jade covers her face with one hand. Just what she needs, more of Beck's friends that she already knows. _Great_.

"I hope you don't mind," Robbie begins, and Jade pulls her hand down just in time, because he's suddenly he steps aside. "I brought Cat, too."

Jade feels heat take over her cheeks. Cat beams at her and waves animatedly; Jade wiggles her fingers slightly in response.

"Oh, hey, Jade!" Robbie says, holding an open palm up in a stationary wave.

"Hey, Robbie," Jade says, rolling her eyes. Cat pulls a chair up to sit beside Jade, nearly plopping into Jade's lap because of the chairs proximity.

"Whoa, Cat," Tori drawls. "Calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself."

"You don't want to hurt yourself," Jade mocks in a high pitched voice. Cat giggles and wraps one of her arms around Jade's.

Tori's brows angle down. "I don't sound like that!"

Jade bounces her eyebrows and looks to her right; Andre seems to have hit it off really well with Beck and Robbie, and even the stupid puppet. Jade scoffs quietly, but really she's glad; with his jobs and his music, Andre doesn't have much time for friends. She drops her chopstick and stands quickly. "Well, this has been fun," she says directly to Tori. "But I think I'm going to skip out." Andre makes to stand, too, but she holds out a hand. "Andre, stay. You're having fun."

"I can take you home," Beck offers.

"You're sure?" Andre asks her. Jade nods, assures him she'll be fine, and sidesteps Cat. Honestly, she hates Tori, but she's also a bit upset that Cat wasn't at the club on Friday. She'd thought it was going to be a regular thing; she even looks forward to Fridays now. She can't help but be a bit disappointed.

She's halfway to her car when a hand latches onto hers, and she can't help but smile.

"You're upset," Cat says, leaning her head against Jade's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Jade stops in front of her car and turns to Cat. "You should go back inside." The night is chilly, and Cat's only wearing a thin long sleeved shirt.

"But you're sad," Cat says quietly.

Jade rolls her eyes and shrugs off her leather jacket. She drapes it over Cat's shoulders, pulling it to meet in the front, and says, "Look, Cat…did you ever stop to think that you get attached to people too easily?" She doesn't mean to sound harsh, but it's true; they've only talked three short times, and Cat's already making a habit of latching onto her.

Cat pouts and pulls Jade's jacket closer. "But you're nice."

Jade laughs loudly and her hands land on Cat's shoulders. "You obviously don't know me."

Cat's silent for a bit as she gnaws on her lip. She looks at her feet, and then back to Jade, who is waiting patiently. "I'd like to," she whispers.

A slow smile spreads across Jade's face, and she gestures to the passenger door. "Get in."

Cat fiddles with the radio. Jade's not sure where they're going, but she's not opposed to just driving in circles with Cat. "Where were you Friday?"

Cat brings her hands back to her lap and twists her hands in Jade's sleeves. "Tori said she doesn't want me to go there anymore."

Jade fumes. _Fucking Vega_. "Who is she, your mother?"

Cat ignores the question. "I like going there."

"Why?" She honestly can't fathom why someone like Cat would actually _like_ a club filled with sweating alcoholic pigs. Even Trina didn't _really_ like it, and she was…well, Trina.

Cat smiles and shrugs. "I just do."

Jade nods. She thinks she could get used to Cat's presence.

//

Tori takes every opportunity to remind Jade and Cat of Jade's demeaning occupation.

Cat tells Jade that she doesn't mind that she works as a stripper.

Jade thinks Cat's wording means more than the sentiment she was expressing.

//

Jade buys Cat flowers.

Cat cries because no one has ever bought her flowers.

Jade lets Cat weave a crown for her.

//

Jade's shift is over. Cat wasn't in the audience, but Jade's not _too_ disappointed. She exits the back room. She stops in her tracks, doesn't need to turn around to know that Cat is leaning against the wall behind her.

"Where were you tonight?" She asks with a hint of jest.

Cat giggles and Jade hears her push off the wall. "Rex's mouth fell off," she explains. "Robbie was in tears, so I had to fix Rex." She slips her hand into Jade's and together they walk to Jade's car. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Ah, don't sweat it." Jade leans against the driver door of her car, Cat standing between her legs. "Want to come over, watch a movie or two?"

Cat shakes her head, and Jade's heart drops. They're not dating, not really; there's dinners and movies, hand holding and cheek kisses, but nothing really makes them official, and Jade's been trying to pluck up the courage to ask Cat to be her girlfriend. "I would," Cat says. "I totally would, but Robbie's having dinner with his grandma, and I promised I'd go with him. She's kind of…" Cat trails off, obviously not wanting to say the word.

"A bitch?" Jade fills in, and Cat nods. "Might be for the best. I am exhausted like you don't even know."

Cat smiles, tucks her hair behind her ear, and looks down for a second. "Okay, well. I'll call you in the morning and we can do breakfast? Or lunch?"

"Or," Jade says, dragging the word out. "We could do breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner."

Cat's smile widens and she nods enthusiastically. "I'd love to!" She throws her arms around Jade's neck, and Jade loops hers around Cat's small waist. When Cat pulls back, her hands still on Jade's shoulders, their eyes meet; Jade's hands flex on Cat's hips, and before she can inhale a full breath, Cat's lips are softly melding to hers. Cat inhales sharply and Jade pulls her closer, one hand moving to Cat's hair to pull her head to the side. Her tongue slides out and is quickly accepted by Cat's mouth. Cat's hands bunch in Jade's shirt as Jade explores her mouth, and Cat lets out a small whimper.

Jade breaks away; the back parking lot of a strip club is no place for a show like this.

"You sure you can't come over?" Jade asks breathlessly.

Cat giggles, lays a short kiss on Jade's lips, and steps back. "Drive safe."

//

The next night, Jade asks Cat to be her girlfriend over dinner.

Smiling, Cat says, "Of course!"

//

"You're pretty."

Jade's brows knit together and she looks away from the road for a second to glance at Cat. "What?"

"You asked why I like going to the strip club," Cat says quietly. "I like it because you're pretty."

Jade kisses Cat's knuckles and holds back her tears.

//

In her half-asleep state, Jade doesn't mean to let her _I love you_ slip, but when Cat pulls her closer and whispers _I love you, too_ , Jade doesn't want to take it back.

//

Somewhere along the way, _Andre &Jade's_ and _Robbie &Cat's_ morphs into _Jade &Cat's_ and _Andre &Robbie's_.

Andre doesn't seem to mind having another guy around, so they decide to make the switch permanent.

Cat's ecstatic, and she guides Jade by the hand through the entire apartment, showing her every nook of the place she'd once shared with Robbie.

Beck arranges a meeting at Nozu to celebrate, and Jade doesn't want to go at all, but Cat begs her with a protruding lip, and Jade has no choice.

Jade tries to avoid Tori, really she does, but when she spots her with Trina, she find it impossible to pass up the opportunity to mosey over and introduce herself. It's a little easier to handle Tori's fake smile with Trina squirming uncomfortably beside her. Jade glances down at Cat, latched onto her hand, and the barely hidden smile tells her that Cat also knows about Trina. And Cat obviously thinks it's _hilarious_.

Jade smirks; this might actually be _the_ perfect relationship.

//

They argue. A lot.

They're just so different.

Jade wouldn't have it any other way.

//

Jade was planning on them spending their one year anniversary _alone_.

That is until Tori shows up at their doorstep, determined to kick the door in.

"What is your deal?" Jade yells as she opens the door.

Tori pushes past Jade and stands between her and a half-clothed Cat. "Trina just told me that she's a stripper too." Jade's hand flies to her mouth to hide her smile and she looks away. "How dare you corrupt my sister!"

"Excuse me?"

"You encouraged my sister to get a job there!" Tori accuses. She looks like she might cry, and if Jade were a different person, she might feel bad. Maybe.

"Tori," Cat starts, pulling a blanket around herself. "Jade didn't-"

"Hush!" Tori says harshly, and Jade wants to badly to say something, but Tori continues. "And furthermore, I _never_ approved of your relationship with Cat. I knew you were only going to bring her down from the start-"

"Did you?" Jade crosses her arms and opens her face, making herself look shocked.

"Yeah, since the moment we first saw you sliding down the pole!" Tori turns and grabs Cat by the wrist. "C'mon, Cat. Jade, your games are over. I'm taking Cat away from here."

Jade lunges; if she was upset when Tori called her a stripper, she's _livid_ that she'd question her love for Cat. They've been together for a year and they were friends several months before hand, and not once did Jade do a thing to suggest that she didn't love Cat.

Cat's arm wretches from Tori's grasp as the taller girl falls to the floor. Jade throws a punch, connecting solidly with the side of Tori's face. Tori screams, struggles, and Cat wraps her arms around Jade, yanking her off of Tori with surprising strength. Jade doesn't resist; all she's wanted all these months is one jab, and she got it.

"First of all," Jade spits, pointing to Tori with one hand and wrapping her other arm around Cat. "Your slut of a sister had been there for _months_ before I was hired." Tori nurses her face and sits up. She still looks pissed, but Jade can see a level of shock there. "And second, don't _ever_ question my love for Cat. I've been nothing but good to her, and you know it."

"Jade," Cat whimpers softly. Jade looks down at her. She's crying, and Jade feels a pang of guilt. She pulls away from Jade's side and helps Tori to her feet. Jade watches Cat take Tori to the kitchen and fill a dishcloth with ice. Wordlessly, she hands it to Tori and shows her to the door. Once Tori's gone, Cat turns to Jade. "That was mean."

Jade gapes at Cat and gestures wildly to the space Tori had occupied before she'd attacked her. "Did you not _hear_ the shit she was saying?" Cat cringes at her curse. "She can't just barge in here pretending to know what she's talking about."

Cat steps up to Jade and toys with the hem of the long shirt she'd thrown on when she'd heard Tori pounding on the door. "Well, yeah but…did you have to hit her?"

"Yes." Cat pouts and Jade wraps her arms around Cat. "I don't want anything or anyone to make you doubt that I love you. Ever." She doesn’t want Cat to be mad at her; they've fought before, and Jade hates that look Cat gets, where she wants to cry but she's afraid to look weak in front of Jade. She hates when Cat looks helpless, knowing that she made that look appear.

She feels the weight on her shoulders lift when Cat smiles. "I don't. I never have." Cat bunches Jade's shirt in her hands and pulls it off. "I love you."

Jade exhales loudly, kissing Cat's forehead.

Tori Vega won't take this girl from her.

//

Jade quits her stripping job.

Cat doesn't say so, but Jade knows she's relieved.

Jade doesn't say so, but Cat knows she quit for her.


End file.
